Maybe Someday
by carebearsmiles
Summary: Julian Blackthorn was a lot of things, contrary to popular belief. The one thing he wasn't, was a fool. He quite literally holds the fate of his family in his hands after a harsh winter night took his parents. His older brother is still in jail for a crime he didn't commit and his sister no where to be found since the day the cops came. AU, extended summary included.
1. Extended Summary

**Extended Summary**

 **Julian Blackthorn was a lot of things, contrary to popular belief. The one thing he wasn't, was a fool. He quite literally holds the fate of his family in his hands after a harsh winter night took his parents. His older brother is still in jail for a crime he didn't commit and his sister no where to be found since the day the cops came. Now he has to deal with his siblings, the family fortune, his uncle, and the cases surrounding the people he loves. On top of everything, the girl he's been pushing away since he was 12, since that winter night took everything away from him, keeps coming back to him. He knows she's not as innocent as she seems to be, but she's everything to him. How long can he hold everything together when everything is so close to falling apart?**

 **This story will be rated M for mature themes, language, and violence.**

 **I will post what I have so far for this story and you guys can tell me if you want more. I noticed that there wasn't much for TDA yet and I had this story in the works anyways.**

 **I am still working on my other stories this week so they should be updated soon. If you haven't yet, go check them out too.**

 **Thank you everyone for taking the time to read what I write. I know it's hard to find a really good fanfic that hits you in all the right feels but I will try my best to do this one justice.**

 **Carebearsmiles**


	2. Prologue 1

**Prologue 1**

 **Five years ago…**

"You look lovely tonight, Eleanor" Andrew Blackthorn said bowing slightly to his wife. Their kids were waiting for them by the front door to see them off for the weekend. They had a huge business deal going on with a neighboring company, a deal that could change the world in a sense. They were to meet the CEO of their partner company, Malcolm Fade, in New York at their corporate office to discuss moving forward with the deal.

He took her hand and kissed the knuckles that weren't decorated in fine jewelry. She blushed and let out a small chuckle before patting his shoulder.

"No need for that, Andrew, I don't need your charms to know that you love me," she said smiling brightly down to him.

"You'll need my charms by the time we're done with this deal," he said grinning back up to her.

She laughed and rolled her eyes to him. "Let's get this over with, shall we? I just want this deal signed and done with."

"Me too, darling, me too," Andrew said holding out his arm so he could lead her through the entry way to their children.

"Mom, dad," Helen said smiling brightly to them. She gave them both a short hug before the rest of the children started piling on for a goodbye hug.

"Have fun changing the world," Mark said taking his turn with their parents. "Helen and I will handle the kids until you get back."

"I know, sweetheart," Eleanor said brushing some hair from Mark's face. She looked to Helen this time. "No girls in the bedroom, and I left the number for Dianna on the refrigerator in case you need help with anything. She knows to check in with you guys once a day and she'll run errands for us until we get back."

"I thought the meeting was just supposed to be this weekend?" Julian spoke up this time. His eyes shone bright like a 12-year-old's eyes can only shine after spending the day with their best friend.

"It is only supposed to take the weekend," Andrew said encouragingly. "But you never know, we want to be prepared just in case."

Julian nodded and gave his older brother a look that said, _they always come back on time, it'll be okay_. Mark nodded back down to him and smiled brightly at Helen. "It's ok," Mark said. "Don't try and rush the fate of the world for us."

"I would rush anything for you kids," Eleanor said giving Helen Baby Tavy's blanket that he had dropped on the floor. "You all know the rules. No girls in the bedroom, Julian, Mark, Helen," she said pointing to the three of them. "Emma and Aline can come over but only if Dianna is here to make sure everything stays PG."

"Mom-," Julian tried to cover his ears with a scowl on his face.

Eleanor laughed and looked sternly to Helen who rolled her eyes back to her and silently agreed to the terms.

"We need to go, love," he said taking the front door's knob in his hands. "We will be back soon."

After a chorus of goodbye's, they were in the taxi and off to the airport.

Julian went back to his room where Emma would be meeting him in just a little bit. Outside his window is an iron fence that roses grow on. She likes to climb up it and jump from the top to his window ledge. It's really only 10 feet off the ground, but it's enough to scare him with the thought of falling off if he missed the jump.

He made sure the window was unlocked and slightly open so she could push it the rest of the way.

 _Emma_.

He often referred to her as _his Emma_. They've been best friends for as long as he could remember. She was adventurous and daring and had a fire to her that he craved to be a part of. She was the part of him that he had to push down for public appearance sake. But when Emma was with him, he felt her fire, her adventure, the daring in her voice to do something stupid, he felt free.

He could still hear his mother's words echoing through his head from just last week. _"Just because Emma jumps from the tallest tree branch and into the pool, doesn't mean you have to too, sweetheart."_

And his reply. _"Yes, it does, mom, how else am I supposed to impress a girl that would otherwise be impressing me?"_

His mother had explained to him what the media would think if they found out that they had allowed their kids to be reckless at such a crucial time for their company. Julian had simply nodded his head and went back to the pool with Emma.

She had the blondest hair, with streaks of gold and white from both sun damage and the time she tried to dye it white; claiming that blonde hair was boring her. Her eyes might have been brown but they were always lit like chocolate on fire, melting to perfection. Whenever he felt lonely or afraid, he had Emma there to bring him back to reality. She was his anchor, she might as well have been his everything.

The window screeched from behind him and he turned to see Emma climbing through and closing it behind herself. She smiled brilliantly up at him before straightening out her hooded leather jacket and beany hat. The tip of her nose was red from the cold and her cheeks looked numb. She took off her gloves and placed them on top of his dresser where she always kept her stuff when she was there with him.

"Jules," she said, her smile wavering slightly while she noticed his silence. "Something wrong?"

"No," he said a little too fast, and then cursed himself for letting himself get carried away with taking her in. "I was thinking about how cold you must be right now."

Without warning, she put her hand on his forearm, where his sleeve didn't quite cover, making Julian jump with the coldness of her fingers.

"We should watch a movie, and warm you up," he said ruffling his hair.

She smiled and went to the corner of his room to find their favorite scary movie, they watched it all the time.

Julian took this moment to step into his closet and take off the button-down shirt that he wears for his parents. He tossed into the small basket in the corner of his closet along with his jeans. He slipped on a pair of sweatpants and began rummaging for a decently matching shirt.

"Hey, I found it-," Emma said opening the door to his closet without warning.

Julian internally cringed at being so careless. All of the muscles in his body tensed at once and she stumbled over her next couple of words.

"I, uh, didn't," she said moving uncomfortably in the doorway.

He grabbed the nearest tee shirt and slid it over his shoulders.

"Did you want one?" Julian asked holding up another tee shirt for her. He was still facing the other direction but he didn't like seeing her unsure about herself. She's Emma, always sure, slightly arrogant, always right, that's the Emma he liked seeing. Emma being unsure about something happened less often than a blue moon, and it always put an uneasy feeling inside of him.

"Sure," she said letting out the breath she was obviously holding. He turned around now, giving her one of his tee shirts that would probably be only a little bit too big on her, she's not that much smaller than him. He nodded politely at her and shifted himself so he could move around her without touching her. He closed the closet door behind himself and released the air out of his own lungs. He put the DVD into the player and took his place on his bed. The thought of Emma having a 'place' on his bed that was hers made him smile unconsciously.

He didn't purposefully show her the markings on his back, he just didn't think she was going to walk in on him changing. On his lower back, on the left side, is a really long mark that he's had for as long as he could remember. He once asked his parents about it and they tried telling him that it was a birth mark, not that he believed them. He doesn't usually talk about it or make a habit of people seeing it at all, even accidentally.

He's never hid from Emma. She's even seen it once before, when they went swimming together last summer, but she tries not to say anything. Julian had told her that since it's such a big secret to his parents, he'll leave it alone, it never bothered him anyways. He didn't mean for it to ever make Emma uncomfortable.

The door to his closet opened again and Emma came out. She looked good in everything she wore, but his shirt on her looked like something else entirely.

She jumped on his bed and pulled the covers over herself. Just like every other time they have a movie night, she shimmies out of her jeans and places them next to the bed. Julian knows she wears spandex when she comes over for this very reason.

"Ready," she said fluffing the last pillow behind herself so she can sit at the perfect angle.

Julian gave a laugh and pressed the play button.

There was banging at his bedroom sometime after one in the morning.

"Emma, did you forget to tell your foster mom that you were coming over again?" Julian asked her through tired eyes and a dry throat.

She didn't respond.

He opened his eyes to see clearly and saw that she was fast asleep. _Like the living dead_ , Julian thought for a brief moment.

The banging started again and he pulled himself up to open it.

"Emma's fine, she stayed with me," he said yawning when the door was opening.

"Julian," the voice said back.

"Dianna?" He asked rubbing the rest of the tired from his eyes. "Can it not wait until morning?"

"I'll address the rule about girls in the bedroom when I'm not here later," she said nodding towards Emma, who was waking blinking the tired out of her own eyes now.

"Jules-," Emma tried to say but Dianna was persistent.

"You're needed downstairs," Dianna said coldly. "Something has happened."

Julian's heart sank. _What possibly could have happened?_

Dianna turned around to lead him down the long corridor that would take him back downstairs. He didn't realize that Emma was following until she grabbed his hand when she caught up with him, dressed in her own clothes again.

The only thing Julian saw when he rounded the corner was cops, a lot of cops. They were whispering in a circle around what must be the lead detective.

"Excuse me," the man in the middle said when he saw Julian. The crowd around him dispersed, mostly to go talk to Dianna or each other in hushed whispers.

"Are you Julian Blackthorn?" he said taking a seat on the couch. Julian sat opposite him, unsure about what he was supposed to do in this situation.

"Yes," he croaked out.

"There's been an incident," he said carefully. "Well, there's been 3 incidents."

Julian didn't bat an eye before blurting out exactly what he was thinking. "Where is my brother, or sister. Mark or Helen should be here, not me."

He looked to Dianna for support but her eyes only showed despair.

"Your parents were in an accident," the detective said with more confidence than before. Julian didn't say anything, he didn't even move. "Andrew Blackthorn was killed upon impact," he took a breath before continuing. "Eleanor Blackthorn died shortly after first responders arrived on the scene, due to blood loss."

"Helen, or Mark," was all Julian could manage to say. His voice still came out in a croak as he held himself back from breaking down.

"Mark Blackthorn was arrested five hours ago for reckless driving, and driving under the influence of a controlled substance," he said reading his notes on his notepad. "A store clerk called in the tip that there was underage drinking going on, said that Helen Blackthorn was with Mark when they stopped in, but she was nowhere to be found when the cops found him. Julian… Mark Blackthorn was found in a ditch, three miles away from here, unconscious and in fact in the driver's seat. He was arrested on site, and taken to the LA juvenile facility to await charges."

"Take me to Mark," Julian says with a deathly calm to him. His fists are clenching and unclenching at an unusual pace and he looks like he's going to break.

Emma has never seen Julian Blackthorn so close to loosing control, it's so unlike him to be anything but confident in himself.

Dianna was at his side in a second, putting her arms around Julian like the world depended on it.

"Take me to my brother," Julian said without the touch of calm.

"That's not possible," the detective said carefully. "I really wish that I could help you, Julian Blackthorn, but Mark is in some really big trouble right now. Do you know what they were doing out at night? What they were thinking, anything?

"I was in my own room," he said bitterly. "I didn't even know the left."

"Unfortunately," he continued. "You won't be able to see your brother, you're not of age. I can arrange for Dianna can see him briefly, but only because she will act as the designated guardian of the minors until a permanent plan is put in place."

Dianna was up in a second, in the detective's face like a wild animal. He's never seen Dianna so angry.

"Don't you think for a second that you are going to split these kids up when this investigation is over, sir," she spat at him. "I will sign whatever it takes, these kids are staying here."

"That's a matter for child protective services, not me," he said back to her with his hands up.

"I just made it your matter," she said crossing her arms. "Make it happen." It wasn't a question, and it was definitely not a request. It was a demand.

The detective stood up and shook her hand. "Let me see what I can do, I have a friend that might be able to put a rush on the paperwork for temporary guardianship to be given to you, it should give you enough time to file and be approved to ask as the permanent guardian of the kids until further notice."

"Thanks," she said sternly. The detective simply smiled back to her.

"I am sorry Julian," he said with real sincerity. "I'm going to find out everything that happened, but I legally cannot allow you to assist, or be informed directly. You're not of age. Dianna can include you in what she is involved in, if it is her choice, that is simply just the way it is."

Julian didn't respond, he didn't move a muscle. Everything else being spoken to him was like wind whipping past him. He didn't even want to hear anything else, his life just got turned upside down.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

 **Too much has happened in the last year and I honestly didn't know if I wanted to write again. I'm sure everyone will be happy to know that I am working on updates for all of the stories that I left last year and I still intend to finish them. In the mean time, feel free to send some positive words this way as I haven't decided on regular updates yet. Enjoy!**

 **Characters belong to Cassie Clare.**

 _Four years later._

If you couldn't guess from before. I've had to do a lot of growing up since that night. It wasn't always easy or pretty trying to take care of kids when I was still so young myself. Dianna helped, but she had to work to pay the bills my parents left behind. Emma helped, but she couldn't give them what they needed most.

To be told no.

I had to be the bad guy sometimes, and that hurt worst then I ever thought it would. I had to teach Dru and Tavvy how to ride bikes, and how to bake cookies. I had to teach all of them how to do their own laundry and clean their rooms. Easy is not the word I would use to describe my life. I found myself doing those things because they deserved to know them. I might not be good like our parents were, but it's the best that I can give them.

Apparently, their company was on the verge of bankruptcy, and they we're supposed to making a deal with another company that would put them back on track for decades. Since that never happened, the money that was left behind was a lot less than they expected. There was barely enough to pay off the house, let alone get a lawyer for Mark. I hired investigators to find Hellen, but I guess she didn't want to be found. They want to declare her dead, but I can't bring myself to believe it, she has to be out there somewhere. Anything that was left over went to the kids, split between Tavvy, Dru, Livvy, and Ty. Dianna helped me put it away so they couldn't touch it until they were older, but it's only a fraction of what they should have gotten.

Dianna says I should have taken some for myself, but money can't buy me what I need right now. I need Mark and Hellen – I need my parents – I need Emma. While I can't have anyone of those things physically, I still want for them every day.

"So, I was thinking that you should throw a party," Emma said sitting on the edge of my bed. She was going through pictures on her phone while I had a few minutes to work on homework. I looked up from my notebook to see her smiling her greatest smile. She moved her leg so it dangled off the edge and moved her hair back. "Come on, you only turn 16 once!"

"I don't need a party, Emma, I need to do homework," I said trying to be reasonable with myself. I've actually always wanted to have a party; it will just never happen. Not with the kids running around more responsibilities than I can count.

"You need to let loose," she said seriously this time.

I shut my note book and gave her my full attention. Her blonde hair never faded with time, wrapped to the right side of her face to hang by her rib cage. Her tank top rode up just enough to show an inch of skin above her shorts. With the way she's been sitting the last hour, it's surprising it hasn't ridden up more than that.

She gave me her pouty face, the one that she thinks doesn't work on me, but really kills me a little inside every time she uses it because it drives me crazy. The things I would do to give into her just once.

"Maybe next year," I said carefully adverting my eyes so I can't see her immediate disappointment. "My birthday is on a school night, and the kids have to be in bed."

"We should still do something," she said crossing her arms stubbornly in front of herself. "Something we've never done before."

"Are you calling me boring?" I asked with a mock disappointment. She smiled wide and let out a laugh that I could die happy listening too. Standing up from my place on the floor, I got up with the intention to pick a movie for the night.

"I'm going to go see my birth father," she blurted out before I even made it two steps. My entire body stopped as those words shocked every part of me. My head turned to look at her, but she wouldn't look at me. "I'm leaving right after your birthday."

"So what? We can always do something when you get back," I said trying to shrug off this topic. Why would she even want to go see someone she's never met before anyways.

"Well," she said staring at my notebook that's on the floor. "I don't know when I'm going to be back."

My heart stopped at what she was saying. "As in what exactly?" I asked trying to keep my body still and my voice clear.

"As in I might end up staying with him," she said slowly.

Anger, irritation, betrayal, and about a dozen other emotions tore through me at once. _She's leaving me_. I closed my eyes and balled my fists, fully intending on telling her exactly why that's a horrible idea. _She's going to leave_.

"I think you should go." The words came out before I could stop them, only adding to the frustration inside.

Her eyes finally connected with mine and I finally saw how much she hated this conversation. Her eyes looked unsure and sad, her lip was pulled between her teeth, and her fingers shaking with anticipation.

"Fine," she said straightening herself and taking a step back. "I'll just see you tomorrow."

She moved to get her bag that was sitting by my dresser. "No, I think you should go be with your dad. At least one of us should have a parent." _Just rip my heart out with a spoon before you leave, at least then I won't have to lose you._

"Don't act like that," she said through gritted teeth, her eyes slightly puffier than they were before.

"Like what? I thought I was being supportive," I said forcing every ounce of anger down.

"Like you don't even want me to stay." It came out as a whisper but I could hear it. She threw her backpack on and was sliding the window open before I could even move.


End file.
